Polyacrylamide Based Agricultural Compositions

ABSTRACT

A polyacrylamide based agricultural composition as a microemulsion is provided in form of a water-in-oil microemulsion with polyacrylamide dissolved in the water phase where the polyacrylamide solids content is from about two up to about 15 percent by weight, which is then further diluted in water at the time of use to impart the desired characteristics of the polymer to the water phase or to the material to which the water phase is applied.

This invention relates to a polyacrylamide based agriculturalcompositions and more particularly to a polyacrylamide basedagricultural compositions as a microemulsion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Water-soluble polymers are long known to be very useful in bothagricultural and industrial applications. Among the polymers that areextremely well known, belongs the class of water-soluble polymers knownas linear polyacrylamides. They are very useful because of theirsuperior properties of infinite solubility and low use rates, amongothers. By far, the major use for linear polyacrylamides is in thetreatment of water, especially wastewater.

In wastewater treatment and uses like canal sealing, polyacrylamideflocculates, or agglomerates to form particles. This flocculation, wherelight particles are attracted together to form heavier particles, causesthem to sink rather than float, clarifying the water containing theparticles. In agricultural sprays, the ability of these polymers toretain water, control movement and add viscosity is utilized to enhancethe effectiveness of the sprays, in addition to other purposes.

These linear polyacrylamides are commonly available in three commercialforms. First, as a water-dispersible solid, polyacrylamides are used inapplications such hydroseeding and canal sealing. This form slowlydissolves in water, but has a tendency to agglomerate when added tooquickly or all-at-once to water. When this happens, the lumps that areformed take hours, days or weeks to dissolve in water. This slowdissolution property is used to advantage in the applications specified,but is a highly undesirable trait in situations that require quickdispersion of the polymer.

Second, water-dispersed polymers are used, which have the distinctadvantage of already being dissolved. It is used in agricultural spraydeposition aids, among others. However, not much polymer can bedissolved in water, only up to about two (2%) percent, before thesolution becomes too viscous to be handled easily. This material alsogenerates a lot of expense due to the shipping of mostly water, thuscreating great inefficiency.

The third historical form is an emulsion, more specifically awater-in-oil emulsion. This is a polyacrylamide, with the polyacrylamidechains contained in small droplets of water, that are dispersed in anoil, by using emulsifiers to help make the two phases mix, Emulsions aredroplets or “bubbles” of liquid, known to those practiced in the art as“micelles”, suspended in another liquid with which the first liquid willnot mix. The micelles are often called the “discontinuous phase” and thesuspending liquid is called the “continuous phase”.

In the case of polyacrylamide emulsions, the polymer, polyacrylamide, isdissolved in the discontinuous phase, in this case the water phase; andthe continuous phase is oil. This is known as a water-in-oil (W/O)emulsion or a reverse emulsion. This type of emulsion keeps the polymerin small packets of water, which burst open when the emulsion comes incontact with water. Polyacrylamide emulsions disperse well in water withvigorous stirring and are used prevalently in water treatment.

Such emulsions are also used, among other things, in pesticide tankmixtures to aid in preventing drift and increasing deposition on targetspecies. The problems with emulsions are that they form dumps, likesolid forms, when the emulsion is added to water with little or noagitation or if the water to emulsion ratio is too low. Also, emulsionsare inherently unstable and will eventually break or separate into oiland water layers. The of rises as a layer, and the water layer sinks.Then since the polymer chains are now free to combine, because they arenot separated by the oil “walls” (that is the oil and water separationor dividing line), they combine and form large lumps.

The polyacrylamide polymer itself comes in several types, defined byelectrical charge of the polymer chain. It can be nonionic, anionic orcationic. The cationic form is commonly used in water treatment. In theagricultural applications, the cationic, or positively charged polymer,is rarely used, as it has a deleterious effect on aquatic wildlife. Thenonionic or uncharged form is a reaction product of pure acrylamide,forming an uncharged, but water-soluble polymer that is quite inert inthe environment.

Acrylamide is co-reacted with other monomers to form the cationic oranionic forms. To form the anionic polymer, acrylamide is most oftenreacted with an acrylate monomer that is further reacted so that itbecomes negatively charged. The nonionic and anionic polymers havedifferent properties. At lower levels in water, the anionic polymersbuild properties such as viscosity faster that are more desirable,Anionics are compatible with other charged molecules such as arecontained in fertilizers. However, they can react undesirably withcertain other charged molecules. Thus, nonionic polyacrylamides are usedin situations where the anionics are incompatible with other molecules.

The amount of charge is measured as a percent of the comonomer added.Thus, a polyacrylamide that is 30% acrylate and 70% acrylamide is calleda 30 percent-charged polymer. This percentage may be expressed as weightor mole percent, depending on the manufacturer. Typically, if thepolymer is a combination of the two monomers, the acrylic acid portionis reacted with base to form the acid salt. The polymer is thenconsidered to be charged.

Microemulsions are a very recent, commercially available development. Amicroemulsion is a special type of emulsion. These microemulsions havethe same basic structure as traditional emulsions, except that thedroplets are smaller. Smaller droplets, by virtue of the solutionphysics involved, are very stable and the droplets do not combine orseparate in solutions as traditional emulsions do. Microemulsions arealso virtually clear, while sometimes having only a slight haze, asopposed to a standard emulsion, which is milky white.

Microemulsions, as they are now, do have their own drawbacks, however.The biggest drawback to a microemulsion is that, if it is combined withwater or aqueous solutions, microemulsions will form a skin at itssurface that drastically reduces the water diffusion; and the diffusionof oil or emulsifier combination into the water phase. This is due tothe fact that there are very many small aqueous droplets near thesurface of the emulsion and when they are combined with water, waterdiffuses quickly across the discontinuous phase and swells the micellesnearest the surface. The micelles swell, combine, burst and rupture, inthat order.

This instantaneous bursting of many of the droplets entangles thepolymer on the surface of the microemulsion and forms a barrier, which,in turn, slows diffusion of water further into the microemulsion anddispersion of the rest of the polymer. This phenomenon, sometimes knownas a “skin”, causes the same problems that traditional emulsions have interms of dispersion and clean out.

Observers of microemulsions may actually observe that they are clear andtherefore question the ability of the product to do the job intended orthe presence, in this case, of polymer until the product is added towater and the characteristic milky appearance and slimy feel ofpolyacrylamide emulsion added to water appears.

While each of the polymers and the delivery systems have distinctadvantages, certain applications create great disadvantage for allpolymers. For instance, in fields that are watered using pivotirrigation, the polymer is known to have been tested and shown to beeffective at reducing the need for water. However, handling of thetraditional emulsion, which is, thus far, the only economical form forthis application, can plug pumps, nozzles, screens, or other apparatus,when the clean out procedures are not followed properly because of thelumping process described above. Microemulsions are tested in thisprocess and found to have the same problems because of the skinningprocess described. The current invention addresses many of theseproblems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the many objectives of the present invention is the provision of amicroemulsion of polyacrylamide that disperses easily in water, does notdump and is stable for long periods of time that is then dispersed in awater medium.

Another objective of the present invention is the provision of asolution for emulsion dispersion problems by using a more diluteversion, in terms of polyacrylamide content of the microemulsion with aset of stabilizing and dispersing ingredients that slows bursting of thebubbles into aqueous solution, thus allowing the individual bubbles todisperse into the water phase with its oil coating before bursting.

Also, an objective of the present invention is the provision of aconcentrated solution rather than a water-dispersed polymer ofpolyacrylamide.

Moreover, an objective of the present invention is the provision of andeasy dispersing formula of polyacrylamide.

A further objective of the present invention is the provision of aninherently stable formula of polyacrylamide.

A still further objective of the present invention is the provision ofpolyacrylamide having relative ease of hydration of the dilute polymersolution.

These and other objectives of the invention (which other objectivesbecome clear by consideration of the specification and claims as awhole) are met by providing a polyacrylamide based agriculturalcomposition as a microemulsion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is a mixture including a water-in-oil microemulsion withpolyacrylamide dissolved in the water phase where the polyacrylamidesolids content is from about two up to about 15 percent parts by weight,which is then further diluted in water at the time of use to impart thedesired characteristics of the polymer to the water phase or to thematerial to which the water phase is applied. More preferably, the rangeof polyacrylamide solids content is about two percent to about 14percent by weight. Most preferably, the range of polyacrylamide solidscontent is about four percent to about 12 percent by weight.

The current invention further contains two specifically importantingredients. First, it contains at least one fatty acid. Second, itcontains at least one nonionic surfactant. These two ingredients worktogether to stabilize the emulsion. The ingredients all come together toform an easily water dispersible product with fewer handling issues. Theterms “surfactant” and “emulsifier” may typically be usedinterchangeably, since all emulsifiers are surfactants and mostsurfactants are emulsifiers.

This effective use of fatty acids is surprising, because it is knownthat ionic surfactants do not stabilize water-in-oil (W/O) emulsionswell. The book “Chemistry and Technology of the Cosmetics and ToiletriesIndustry”, D. F. Williams, W. H. Schmitt, Second Ed., Springer, 1996.pg, 31, states that “A limited number of W/O emulsifiers are available.This is because ionic emulsifiers will not work in the case of W/Oemulsions.” Since fatty acids can form, and often are used as,negatively charged species, it is considered an ionic emulsifier.

Preferably the fatty acids include at least one selected from the groupconsisting of C8 to C30 fatty acids. Such acids include, but are notlimited to myristic, lauric, palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleicacids and mixtures of fatty acids derived from natural sources such ascoco, lauryl, palm, soy, cottonseed and tall oil fatty acids. Morepreferably, fatty acids whose major content is C12 to C18 fatty acidssuch as coco, lauryl, palm, soy, cottonseed and tall oil fatty acids.Most preferably, fatty acids whose major content is C18 fatty acids suchas soy and tall oil fatty acids. Preferably, the fatty acid content isup to about 20 percent by weight. More preferably, the range of fattyacid content is about two percent to about 14 percent by weight. Mostpreferably, the range of fatty acid content is about two percent toabout 13 percent by weight.

Preferably the nonionic surfactants include at least one surfactantselected from the group consisting of ethoxylated surfactants,nonylphenol ethoxylates or alcohol ethoxylate or other ethoxylatedsurfactants. Better results are obtained with nonylphenol ethoxylates oralcohol ethoxylates. The best results are obtained with most preferablyalcohol ethoxylates. Preferably, the nonionic surfactant content is upto about 20 percent by weight. More preferably, the range of nonionicsurfactant content is about two percent to about 14 percent by weight.Most preferably, the range of nonionic surfactant content is about twopercent to about 13 percent by weight.

The other surprising property of the nonionic surfactant ingredient inthis invention is the use of a nonionic surfactant with ahydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) greater than 9.3. More preferablythe hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) is about 9.4 to 20. Mostpreferably the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) is about 9.4 to 15.As stated, previous inventions used nonionic surfactants with an HLB of9.3 or less. However, this invention requires the use of a nonionicsurfactant with at least some portion of the nonionic surfactant havingthe higher HLB.

The microemulsion can be achieved in either of two ways. One way is toclassically create the microemulsion using well-known techniques. Thesetechniques are often employed in manufacturing these microemulsions.However, the objective is almost always to create a microemulsion withthe highest content of active ingredient possible. Thus, thesemicroemulsions are classically more than 15% polyacrylamide for economyof transport and value.

This application requires less content be present because the bubblesmust be allowed to disperse in the water phase, and this occurs poorlyin mixtures having greater than 15 percent by weight solids. So formingless polymer during manufacturing is one way to achieve the goal.

However, the other way is to dilute the commercially available materialwith more oil and emulsifier. The commercially available microemulsionis inexpensive compared to the cost of a special reaction. The dilutionis relatively simple and inexpensive, while effectively reaching thesame objectives at less cost.

The charge of the polyacrylamides in the current invention is from zeroto 40 percent because the reaction starts with zero to 40 percentacrylic acid or acid salt. The polymer that is formed with acrylic acidor an acid salt monomer is called anionic polyacrylamide since thepolymer itself contains a negative charge, which is balanced by acation, usually sodium. The polymer where little or no acid or acid saltis used is considered to be nonionic polyacrylamide because the polymercontains essentially no charge. The range of charge is necessary toensure compatibility of the polymer with the various types ofingredients in tank mixes. Higher or lower charge directly affectscompatibility, with the higher charge generally being more compatiblewith fertilizers, and the lower charge being more compatible with othertypes of charged species that might form an insoluble salt.

The molecular weight of the polymer is anywhere up to 35 Megagrams permole. More preferably molecular weight of the polymer is up to 30Megagrams per mole. Most preferably molecular weight of the polymer isabout one to about 25 Megagrams per mole. This property allows for themaximum flexibility in the use of the polymer. Ultra-high molecularweight polymers build viscosity quickly and are highly stable in thesoil, both of which are desirable properties for the uses enumerated.The variability in charge allows use of the polymer with many differentkinds of materials.

Beyond the polymer, the rest of the system provides a mechanism fordelivering the polymer, and appears to have some effect oncharacteristics of the polymer. This part of the invention that isespecially unique and unexpected. This set of ingredients allows for alower amount of the water phase and a higher amount of the oil phaseand, therefore, better dispersion into water.

In order for these two phases to mix or “emulsify”, a set of emulsifiersare used. These are molecules that have a specific structuralrequirement. Emulsifiers must contain two areas within the molecule, onethat is hydrophobic or water-hating and one that is hydrophilic orwater-loving. This structure acts as the glue that holds the twoimmiscible phases together, by going to the interface between the twophases and laying across that interface with the hydrophobic partsticking into the oil phase and the hydrophilic part sticking into theaqueous phase.

The emulsifiers used in the current invention are a combination of fattyacids and nonionic surfactants. This combination is unique in itsability to bring the two phases together. The fatty acids are a very lowHL emulsifier and the nonionic surfactants used are a moderate to highHLB emulsifier. The presence of the fatty adds are necessary in terms ofdispersion as it is the main contributor to slowing the diffusion ofwater and, therefore, the bursting of droplets into the water phase.

The benefit of this invention is twofold. First, the microemulsion ismore stable than normal emulsions, as stated above. This makes long-termstorage problems, which can be an issue with emulsions, possible andeven likely. The second benefit, and another major feature of thisinvention, is the level of polymer and the solution in which it isdelivered.

The level of polymer must be economically viable. Delivering a solutionthat is too low in polymer means delivering too much water or otherineffective material to a site, thereby causing shipping costs to rise.

However, a polymer level that is too high, in this case, can bedetrimental, as well, it is well known to users that handle emulsions,that adding a small amount of water to any emulsion breaks the emulsionand causes it to gel. This gelling forms a large, thick mass that doesnot dissolve easily in water and which may have to be stirred for daysin order to dissolve completely. The lower level of polymer combinedwith the other elements significantly reduces this gelling.

The current invention addresses the problem of formation of themicroemulsion “skin” by production of a dilute, but not too dilute, andstable microemulsion. This is accomplished, in a practical and economicsense, through dilution of the microemulsion with oil. The addition ofoil creates a thicker continuous layer through which water and waterdroplets must pass. This slows diffusion of water from the bulk liquidinto the droplets. The micelles, therefore, swell more slowly, Slowerdispersion of the droplets at the surface of the microemulsion andslower swelling of the droplets in the microemulsion means that thesurface skin does not form when the microemulsion comes in contact withwater.

However, addition of oil to the microemulsion, alone, is not adequate.If oil is added directly to a typical manufactured polyacrylamidemicroemulsion, or any emulsion, for that matter, an unstable emulsionresults and discontinuous layer separates from the continuous layer. Theaddition of further ingredients, typically more emulsifier, is necessaryto ensure a stable, easy dispersing, polyacrylamide microemulsion.

The current invention addresses the potential instability by addition ofemulsifiers to form stable microemulsions. These emulsifiers mustbalance between the water and oil phases and be compatible with theemulsifiers that are typically used in microemulsions. This balance istypically achieved in microemulsions very well. However, with theaddition of more oil in the case of the current invention, the balanceof the emulsifiers must be adjusted to coincide with the water/oil ratiochange.

The level of fatty acid and surfactants needed to create the stablemicroemulsions varies depending on the ratio of oil to aqueous phase andalso on the level of polymer present in the aqueous phase. The level offatty acid runs from 0.01 to 10 percent to form a stable microemulsionin the current invention. However, the fatty add cannot be added alone.It must be balanced with surfactants to make it more compatible with theaqueous phase.

In the current invention, the addition of supplementary nonionicsurfactant is required. Probably the most important reason for the useof additional surfactants is that the addition of fatty add throws offthe balance between the water and oil phases, also called thehydrophilic and lipophilic phases, respectively, of the surfactantpackage. The result is that it is necessary to add something that, whileit is still a surfactant, counteracts or balances the hydrophobic natureof the fatty acid. This is accomplished in the current invention throughthe use of nonionic surfactants with a medium to highhydrophilic-lipophilic balance or HLB.

Typical oils used in addition to fatty adds are defined as 1) petroleumoils, more preferably paraffinic oils, or 2) naturally occurring oilssuch as seed oils like cottonseed, canola, soybean, corn, palm kernel orcoconut oil, or 3) derivatives of naturally occurring oils such as themethyl or ethyl esters of the above named oils. The petroleum orparaffinic oils are preferred, as well as methyl ethyl esters of theabove named oils, for use in the composition of this invention. Theoils, taken singly or in mixtures as named, herein comprise up to about60 percent by weight of the composition. More preferably, the oils,taken singly or in mixtures as named, herein comprise up to about 55percent by weight of the composition. Most preferably, the oils, takensingly or in mixtures as named, herein comprise about 10 percent toabout 55 percent by weight of the composition.

HLB is the nature of a surfactant to balance between aqueous andnonaqueous phases. A low HLB surfactant has a high affinity for oily ornonaqueous phases and is highly insoluble in water. A high HLBsurfactant has a high affinity for water and forms clear mixtures withwater even at high concentrations. Fatty acids have a long lipophilicchain terminated in a carboxylic acid moiety that is hydrophilic. Thelipophilic portion dominates the molecule, however. Nonionic surfactanthas a carefully controlled HLB and range across the entire spectrum ofHUB. Addition of the proper nonionic surfactant allows the correct HLBof the overall surfactant package to be reached.

Thus, the proper mixture is reached for the current invention by theformation of a microemulsion with the addition of fatty adds andnonionic surfactant with the levels of each carefully controlled.

The current invention carefully controls the level of oil, level andtype of surfactant and level of polymer to provide an economical,easy-to-handle solution. The invention disperses well in water, but nottoo well. The skinning, lumping and dumping that is a problem with othermicroemulsions and standard emulsions does not form. Yet there is enoughsurfactant for the product to disperse into the water phase through amechanism that releases the water droplets into the added water moreslowly. This slower release probably allows the polymer to disperse intothe water to which it is added before other water droplets nearby in themicroemulsion burst open or combine, thereby avoiding the entanglementthat normally causes skinning or lumps.

Also, the invention appears even clearer, in terms of appearance, thanother emulsions or microemulsions, Microemulsions typically have only aslight haziness. They can be seen through easily but do have minor, butdefinitive, cloudiness. The current invention is crystal clear in itsmost stable form. The clarity is achieved through the unique combinationof ingredients that is added beyond those that are normally present inthe microemulsion.

The microemulsion disperses into aqueous phase well because of thecombination of oil and surfactants that surround the water droplets thatcontain the polymer. If the amount and/or ratios of oil and surfactantsare not correct, either one of two things can happen.

First, if the mixture contains too much oil phase, the dispersion ofpolymer into the water will be slowed. Aside from this physical problem,there are also financial problems with too much oil phase, as well.

Microemulsions formed using too much oil will not have a viscosityissue, as the aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide do, but will becomeuneconomical for the same reason that the aqueous polymer solutions willbe uneconomical. There will be too little active ingredient shipped,and, additionally, the solution surrounding the polymer would be moreexpensive than just plain water.

Second, if enough oil phase is not added or the oil/emulsifier ratio istoo high in the amount of emulsifier or the emulsifier is too watersoluble, the droplets will swell and burst open too quickly causing theproblems of skinning and lumping. After the stable microemulsion isproduced, the product is utilized by diluting the product in water orwater-based mixtures for application.

The current inventions ability to be used properly is greatly enhancedover other forms. The microemulsion may be added to any aqueous solutionwith a modicum of stirring or movement. It will disperse well, notforming lumps or clumps. The means of addition may be in the form ofpouring, as into a container or tank, or by injection, as into apipeline using a pump and check valve, or by any other means of additionwhere the microemulsion is dispersed into an aqueous liquid.

There are multiple uses for the current invention. The basic idea is todisperse the invention in an aqueous media when it is ready to be used.

One use is in irrigation. The invention is pumped, using some sort ofinjection pump of piston or other design, into a pipe carryingirrigation water to a pivot or other delivery system. Because of thesuperior dispersion characteristics of the invention, there is no needto further treat or add other ingredients. The injection is followeddirectly by a water rinse. The water rinse easily moves through thepump, without any complications.

Another use is in waterways as a canal sealing agent. While emulsionsand solids have been used in the past, the handling of the materials isclearly problematic.

Still, another use is in an agricultural or non-agricultural spray tankmix containing pesticides. It can be added directly into the tank whilethe ingredients in the tank are being stirred. Again, the dispersion isvery easy, not forming lumps or clumps.

The current invention may also be used in pesticide tank mixes forseveral reasons. The first reason is that it provides the ability tocontrol deposition of a pesticide to a target species. The presence of adeposition aid or drift control product will be required in the futurein order to control drift onto non-target species.

The composition may be put into an aqueous medium in order to impart thedesired properties. The aqueous medium is then used in a desiredfashion. Such uses include, but are not limited to, applying themicroemulsion to at least one seed, at least one growing crop, at leastone patch of bare ground, at least one roadside, at least one industrialarea, at least one right-of-way, at least one forest area, at least oneturf or other vegetation, at least one soil at least one waterway, atleast one crop, at least one water management area or combinationsthereof.

Forming the aqueous dispersion is accomplished in any suitable fashion.Typical forming processes include, but are not limited to, forcing thecomposition into the aqueous medium by at least one operation selectedfrom the group consisting of stirring the aqueous medium and thecomposition, pumping the aqueous medium and the composition through apipe or stirring it in a tank, pouring the composition into a tankcontaining the aqueous media and injecting the composition into thetank.

In the following examples, which are intended to illustrate withoutunduly limiting the scope of this invention, all parts and percentagesare by unless otherwise indicated.

Example 1

The following ingredients are assembled:

Hydro treated, paraffinic oil 693%

A flocculating agent 19.8% (such as Superfloc® E 4366 U.S. TrademarkRegistration Number 0748643)

Tall oil fatty acids 4% Nonylphenol ethoxylate 6 mole 2.9% Nonylphenolethoxylate 9 mole 4%.

The ingredients are added to a container in the order specified above.

The mixture is stirred continuously while the ingredients are added. Acrystal clear mixture is formed. This mixture is dispersed in anagricultural tank mix containing water, pesticide and fertilizer. It isfound to increase average droplet size and decrease small droplets, thusreducing drift from the tank when compared to the same agricultural tankmix without the above mixture.

The current invention delivers polyacrylamide, a proven deposition aidor drift control agent, in a form that is stable for long periods oftime and mixes well in most tank mixes. The second reason is to delivera combination of oil and drift control agent in the correct ratio forboth to be effective. This combination, thus far, is deliverable in onebottle using polyacrylamide as the deposition aid. The current inventionmakes this combination possible. These are but a few uses and, thus, theutility of this invention is many-fold.

This application—taken as a whole with the abstract, specification, andclaims—provides sufficient information for a person having ordinaryskill in the art to practice the invention disclosed and claimed herein.Any measures necessary to practice this invention are well within theskill of a person having ordinary skill in this art after that personhas made a careful study of this disclosure.

Because of this disclosure and solely because of this disclosure,modification of this composition and method tool can become clear to aperson having ordinary skill in this particular art. Such modificationsare clearly covered by this disclosure.

What is claimed and sought to be protected by Letters Patent is: 1-17.(canceled)
 18. A process of dispersing a composition into an aqueousmedia and applying the composition in an agricultural application,comprising: dispersing a composition in an aqueous medium, thecomposition comprising a microemulsion of up to about 15 percent byweight of polyacrylamide polymer or copolymer solids based on the weightof the composition, at least one fatty acid, and at least one surfactantselected from the group consisting of a nonionic surfactant and acombination of nonionic surfactants, the nonionic surfactant having acombined hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of greater than 9.3, and thebalance being oil; allowing the micelles to burst in the aqueous medium;and applying the aqueous medium with the composition to at least oneseed, at least one growing crop, at least one forest area, at least oneturf or other vegetation, at least one soil, at least one crop, or acombination thereof.
 19. A process according to 18 further comprisingforcing the composition into the aqueous medium by at least oneoperation selected from the group consisting of stirring the aqueousmedium and the composition, pumping the aqueous medium and thecomposition through a pipe or stirring it in a tank, pouring thecomposition into a tank containing the aqueous media and injecting thecomposition into the tank. 20-26. (canceled)
 27. The method of claim 18wherein the amount of polyacrylamide polymer or copolymer solids is fromabout 4 to about 12 percent by weight, based on the weight of thecomposition.
 28. The method of claim 18 wherein the polyacrylamidepolymer is a nonionic polyacrylamide.
 29. The method of claim 18 whereinthe polyacrylamide copolymer is an anionic polyacrylamide.
 30. Themethod of claim 18 wherein the anionic polyacrylamide is derived fromacrylamide and sodium acrylate.
 31. The method of claim 18 wherein thepolyacrylamide copolymer is an anionic polyacrylamide with up to about40 percent anionic content.
 32. The method of claim 18 wherein thepolyacrylamide copolymer is an anionic polyacrylamide with up to about40 percent anionic content.
 33. The method of claim 18 wherein theamount of fatty acid is preferably from about 2 to about 5 percent,based on the weight of the composition.
 34. The method of claim 18wherein the fatty acid content is from a source that is primarily C18unsaturated fatty acids.
 35. The method of claim 18 wherein the fattyacid content is from tall oil.
 36. The method of claim 18 wherein thenonionic surfactant is an ethoxylated surfactant.
 37. The method ofclaim 18 wherein the nonionic surfactant is nonylphenol ethoxylate,fatty alcohol ethoxylate or a combination thereof.
 38. The method ofclaim 18 wherein the nonionic surfactant is fatty alcohol ethoxylate.39. The method of claim 18 wherein the total nonionic surfactant isabout 9 to about 20 percent by weight, based on the weight of thecomposition.
 40. The method of claim 18 wherein about 8 percent to about70 percent by weight of the at least one nonionic surfactant has ahydrophilic-lipophilic balance above 9.3
 41. The method of claim 18wherein the oil is a paraffinic oil, a natural oil or a derivative of anatural oil.
 42. A process of dispersing a composition into an aqueousmedia and applying the composition, comprising: dispersing a compositionin an aqueous medium, the composition comprising a microemulsion of upto about 15 percent by weight of polyacrylamide polymer or copolymersolids based on the weight of the composition, at least one fatty acid,and at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of anonionic surfactant and a combination of nonionic surfactants, thenonionic surfactant having a combined hydrophilic-lipophilic balance ofgreater than 9.3, and the balance being oil; allowing the micelles toburst in the aqueous medium; and applying the aqueous medium with thecomposition to at least one patch of bare ground, at least one roadside,at least one industrial area, at least one right-of-way, or acombination thereof.
 43. A process of dispersing a composition into anaqueous media and applying the composition, comprising: dispersing acomposition in an aqueous medium, the composition comprising amicroemulsion of up to about 15 percent by weight of polyacrylamidepolymer or copolymer solids based on the weight of the composition, atleast one fatty acid, and at least one surfactant selected from thegroup consisting of a nonionic surfactant and a combination of nonionicsurfactants, the nonionic surfactant having a combinedhydrophilic-lipophilic balance of greater than 9.3, and the balancebeing oil; allowing the micelles to burst in the aqueous medium; andapplying the aqueous medium with the composition to at least one patchof bare ground, at least one roadside, at least one industrial area, atleast one right-of-way, or a combination thereof.